Culture Leadership Charge – Diversity, Inclusion, and Voting

The 2020 election is a pivotal time for the United States. I’m speaking of a constitutional opportunity that lies before us: increasing voter turnout in every community.

The good news is that US voter turnout in 2020 was the highest it’s been in 100 years. Over 150 million votes were cast for president. The not-so-good news? The percentage of the voter-eligible population that actually voted is 65%.

That percentage is 10% higher than voter turnout for the 2016 election. That’s great! But how does our voter participation compare with other developed countries?

Data from Pew Research indicates that even this year’s 65% participation falls far short of the standard. The top three are Belgium (87% in 2014), Sweden (82% in 2014), and Denmark (80% in 2015).

Our states have the responsibility to ensure that every citizen of voting age casts their vote in every election.

“Every citizen of voting age” means EVERYONE without regard to their race, gender, orientation, religion, nationality, if they were granted citizenship by birth, if they earned citizenship by naturalization, etc.

The problem? Tactics like purging voter rolls, closing polling places, reducing drop-off boxes, eliminating early voting, and challenging voter eligibility reduce voter participation, especially in Black, Latino, and Native American communities.

What is required of states to increase voter turnout? Three things. The first is: Make voting easy. Provide clear instruction, well-marked polling places, multiple drop-off boxes, and safe access.

In today’s three-minute episode of my Culture Leadership Charge video series, I share the other two things states must do to boost voter participation.

What can business leaders do? Ensure that their organizations model these three practices while modeling these practices themselves.

This is episode ninety in that series. Each episode is a 3-4 minute video that describes proven culture leadership and servant leadership practices that boost respect and results across your work teams, departments, regions, companies, homes, and communities.

You’ll find my Culture Leadership Charge episodes and more on my YouTube, iTunes, and Amazon Podcast channels. If you like what you learn, please subscribe.

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